Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 425 near Round Rock, AZ — 2025-07-17

Investigation ongoingWPR25LA218
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Date
2025-07-17
Location
Round Rock, AZ, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 425
Registration
N425D
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On July 17, 2025, about 1600 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 425, N425D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Round Rock, Arizona. The pilot receiving instruction and the flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The pilot under instruction and the flight instructor reported that they were about 1.5 hours into the flight from Centennial Airport (APA), Denver, Colorado to Phoenix Dear Valley (DVT), Phoenix, Arizona. They reported that during cruise flight at an altitude of about 26,000 ft msl, they heard a loud noise from the left engine, followed by an immediate and total loss of engine power. While troubleshooting the left engine, the right engine lost total power, as confirmed by the torque and engine temperature gauges. They declared an emergency with air traffic control and attempted to restart the right engine, but the primary flight display “flickered for a moment” followed by a total loss of electrical power. The pilot initiated a forced landing to an open desert area and during the landing sequence on a dry, rough surface, the main landing gear separated. The airplane came to rest upright, and the left wing sustained substantial damage. The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Loss of engine power (total) · Enroute
  • Engine Failure Enroute
View NTSB preliminary report

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